they are placed in the waters of Castle Harbour.

And a Ministry of Works and Engineering committee has been given until August to figure out what is going wrong and remedy the situation.

The topic of the poor structural integrity of the incinerator ash blocks at the Airport waste facility was discussed at the latest meeting of the Environmental Authority after the problem was brought to its attention.

A cautionary letter was sent to the Works Ministry to advise them that the crumbling blocks were not acceptable to the Authority and Ministry representatives were invited to present a report on the issues at the Authority's August 14 meeting.

The blocks have been at the centre of heated debate since the plan to put them in Castle Harbour was approved by the Development Applications Board over protests by environmentalists who feared the blocks would leach toxic elements into the water.

The Environment Ministry has assured no harm was being done to Bermuda's marine life by the dumping of the blocks despite the concerns of fishermen, including Danny Farias and Brunell Spurling.

Ash from Tyne's Bay Incinerator is mixed with concrete and water and the resulting mixture is placed in three-foot by three-foot moulds.

After hardening for about two days the blocks are then removed and allowed to stand for a day or two to build up strength, The blocks are placed into the ocean around the dump at the Airport to form a breakwater. They will also become a barrier to keep items such as refrigerators and crushed cars at the nearby dump from floating to sea.

Environmental engineer Dr. Thomas Sleeter -- who sits on the Authority -- said there was a problem with the mix of the blocks.

When they were exposed to the air, he continued, they cracked up. Once placed in the water, the crumbling stops, he said.

A committee had been formed within the Ministry of Works to look at the problem and come up with solutions, he added.

Dr. Sleeter said it was unlikely the crumbling would increase the risk of heavy metals or other chemicals leaking into the ocean.

More surface area was exposed, he agreed, but this was "not significant in the big picture''.

There has been continual monitoring of the ash blocks by a consultant of the Ministry of the Environment since the blocks were first put overboard, he noted.

This was monitoring things like what organisms were growing on the ash blocks and whether or not organisms in the vicinity of the ash blocks were taking on higher amounts of chemicals.

CRUMBLING -- Blocks of incinerator ash mixed with concrete have been crumbling near the Airport Dump. The blocks are supposed to be used for land reclamation in Castle Harbour and once deposited in the water stop eroding, Government officials said.